At the beginning of this 150th anniversary year for Sibelius, Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic gave cycles of the seven symphonies in Berlin and on tour; these recordings are taken from the performances given at the Philharmonie in Berlin. They are lavishly packaged in what is now the standard format for the orchestra’s own label, and as well as recordings in conventional CD format, the set includes Blu-ray discs offering HD video recordings of the concerts and audio versions in 24-bit, 96kHz sound.
When Rattle and the orchestra gave the cycle at the Barbican in London in February, what came across most forcibly was the depth and power of the orchestral playing. But despite the hi-tech sophistication of these recordings, there is nothing like the same presence to the sound here, which often seems curiously distanced and uninvolving, homogenised almost. And what in the concert hall seemed problematic about the way in which Rattle’s approach to Sibelius has changed over the years appears much more obvious when heard on disc, especially in the later symphonies.
The Fifth, in particular, seems perfunctory and glib here, by turns too ponderous, too lightweight and superficial. The way in which the first movement transforms itself into a scherzo – one of the great moments in the history of the symphony – is alarmingly glossed over, and the finale never hits the majestic stride it should. There’s something unresolved about this account of the Sixth as well, the opening string paragraphs self-consciously moulded, but Rattle’s account of the Seventh (thankfully not elided with the Sixth as it was in the concert hall) is much more convincing, rugged, uncompromising and all of a piece musically.
If it’s a cycle that ends well, it begins impressively too, with an account of the First Symphony sculpted on a grand scale. By the time it reaches the Third (which, astonishingly, the Berlin Phil had never played until Rattle first conducted it with them five years ago), though, the preoccupations with surface smoothness are beginning to be obvious and they diminish the raw, bleak power of the Fourth, too. While any one of these performances might leave a good enough impression in a concert, these endlessly fascinating works need something much less generalised for repeated listening on disc.
